(Philip Bloom’s Prague was my inspiration to look into HDSLR video)
Many months ago, I posted on my Facebook page that I was going to enter the realm of video. Years ago, I tried adding video to my wedding photography offering. I purchased an HD camera, wireless mic, cables galore, and had a very simple goal: shoot the ceremony from the back of the church, with sound, to share with the bride & groom as part of their wedding package. I learned the camera and equipment, the techniques necessary, and did this for one wedding. Two weeks later, I sold everything and got out of the “video business.” Simply put, I wasn’t ready for the technology any more than the technology was ready for me. My camera recorded to DV tape, which then had to be played back and saved to my Mac, imported into FinalCut Pro, sync’d with the sound I recorded from the groom, edited for color, exported, and burned to a DVD.
Fast forward to mid-2011 when I told friends I was delve into video again, and it’s no wonder the reaction was unanimous “Didn’t you try that once already, and give up?” Yes… yes I did. However, like most things in technology, the landscape has changed… considerably.
Nikon and Canon, the two market leaders in DSLRs now have HD video in several camera models. This brings video to a stills camera that gains all the features of the lenses available, and in a format that a still photographer is used to. Light, ISO, aperture, white balance, etc. all work the same. It’s an exciting proposition to be able to record vide with the same camera, and many of the same skills, you use to capture stills.
As much effort as the camera manufacturers have put into making video available in these cameras, they still have one very minor (j/k… major) limitation: they are, at heart, a stills camera. An SLR is (relatively) small, designed to be hand-held, light weight, and easily maneuverable. While this seems great, using an SLR for video takes considerably more effort than just picking up a camera, hoisting it over your shoulder, and shooting.
There is now a market entirely devoted to producing products to make HDSLR video more like shooting with a “real” video camera. Devices to help with focus, camera stabilizers, small camera dollys, large camera dollys, tripods, sliders, LCD screen viewers, external LCD screens, microphones, audio recorders… the list goes on. Like most things in tech, the prices vary. Take for example a an LCD screen viewer — a loupe that blocks light from the LCD to make viewing easier, some of which offer magnification as well. I can (and did) get on eBay and buy a loupe for $35 that has 3x magnification, diopter adjustment, and a metal frame to mount to a camera. Or, buy a Zacuto Z-Finder that comes with a mounting plate, 3x or 2.5x magnification, diopter adjustment, and anti-fog lens inserts for $375. I’ve had both, and now have neither. The $35 eBay option was crap (duh), and I couldn’t justify the $375 Zacuto (as awesome as it is!) since I’m making bubkis while I learn this process.
Over the next while, I plan to slowly build up my video equipment, shooting and editing skills, and if everything aligns, put some video together. Hopefully along the way, I’ll blog about it, show you guys what I’m up to, and maybe… just maybe… find something fun and exciting to add to my repetoire.
